A MESSAGE FROM THE PLACER CEO GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Appointed as Placer County CEO in November 2022, I was pleased to join Roseville Chamber members in early 2023 to share County priorities for the coming year, including forest health/wildfire management, workforce housing, and what I refer to as “getting growth right”.

“Getting growth right” is critical as we continue to be intentional about housing, jobs, and transportation, while still maintaining the quality of life we all cherish. This involves working closely with the community, a value shared by local elected officials, with a well-attended March 21 Roseville Townhall on West Placer development/infrastructure needs, hosted by Supervisor Gore, Supervisor Landon, and Mayor Houdesheldt. With thousands of new homes slated for West Placer, ever-expanding higher education offerings with Sierra College, CSU Sacramento, William Jessup, and Hillsdale College, careful planning and collaboration are imperative.

Balancing commercial and residential growth is essential for successful communities. Contrary to reports, California continues to be among the top 4 states for recruiting large capital projects (per Site Selection Magazine). While news headlines imply a business exodus, data suggests CA continues to be a destination of choice for investment.

West Placer continues to lead the way in Placer County for employment, fueled by small businesses. The recent Beacon Economics report states from 2017-2021, employment growth in West Placer was highest in establishments with less than 15 employees, experiencing a 21.8% growth rate.

Resources such as the Placer Business Resource Center, Roseville’s Venture Lab, and Rocklin’s Growth Factory, offer existing and new businesses ongoing consulting and support - assets to help further the growth of our business community. Sierra College and William Jessup University are expanding efforts to foster new business growth. Placer County will soon embark on reimagining the Business Resource Center, customizing offerings to complement entrepreneurial efforts in our region.

As Placer residents and businesses, we all share in the responsibility of maintaining, building upon, and promoting our unparalleled quality of life. At the region’s Placer Valley 2022 business summit last fall, economist Dr. Christopher Thornberg of Beacon Economics remarked positively on Placer County’s “unmet potential.” Placer County will continue to meet that full potential due to the efforts of our chambers, cities, business organizations, nonprofits, educational institutions, and all of you, supporting and promoting our regional business community. We know that together with our partners, Placer County can “get growth right”, all while enjoying our outstanding quality of life and realizing Placer’s future “unmet potential”!

-Jane Christenson, Placer CEO

2022 Placer Valley Tourism Year In

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